December 6 Hodgepodge

 I'd say the general store above was filled with a hodgepodge of Christmasy things, wouldn't you agree?  This is a scan of a Christmas card our family sent one year when I was growing up.  I know, because the card was signed by me with the names of my parents and siblings.  My mother often had me sign and address the Christmas cards to help out, and that was a chore I enjoyed taking on.  This one, along with several others, apparently did not get sent.  My guess as to why?  I'm supposing that my perfectionist mother didn't think the cards I'd chosen were right for those particular recipients and re-did them, tucking the unsent ones away so I wouldn't know.  No matter -- I'm happy this card with its fun scene was there for me to find, as I'd forgotten all about it!

I'm not sure how this happened so fast, but it's Wednesday again -- not to mention that it's also December!   So it's time for the Hodgepodge with Joyce and friends at From This Side of the Pond.  Head on over to get the questions.  Then answer them on your own blog and go back over to Joyce's to link up!   Here are the [very challenging] questions for this week:

1. What title would you give this current chapter of your life?

What an interesting question!  Let's see.  Maybe "a tale of two houses" for I am spending time at two.  Maybe "never enough time."  Maybe "the endless season" as it seems I am never going to be finished with this task.

2. December 6 is National Microwave Oven Day. Who knew? Besides popcorn and coffee reheats, what's the most common thing you microwave? Could you get along without a microwave?

I microwave leftovers quite frequently.  I also use the microwave to soften butter or margarine for baking cookies, to heat a mug of water for tea, to melt chocolate or butter for various recipes, to make oatmeal, to cook frozen vegetables.  If I am making a baked potato just for myself, I'll bake it in the microwave.  Some types of candy, such as almond brittle or peanut brittle, are easily made in a microwave.  Although there was that one time ... when making almond brittle, a kitchen disaster did occur.

Could I get along without a microwave?  Absolutely, but it really does simplify my time in the kitchen and saves a lot of dishes.

3. If you could insert yourself into any Christmas carol and experience the lyrics in real life, which Christmas carol lyric would you choose and why?

Another fascinating question that really makes one stop and think.  Of course any of the biblical ones like "Joy to the World" or "O Little Town of Bethlehem" or "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks" would be neat to be part of, but you know, I really am happy to be living in modern times.  "Silver Bells" has always been one of my favorites.  How about this one: "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"?  I would like to take a look at the five and ten, glistening once again, and the tree in the Grand Hotel, and one in the park as well.  I suppose that is not strictly a Christmas carol, but it sure is a Christmas song.

4. Describe the most beautiful drive you've ever taken.

 Oh, that would really be difficult.  I would say almost any drive on Prince Edward Island.  Potato fields -- gorgeous green plants against red earth -- and fields of lupines, sloping down to the sea.  I have taken other scenic drives, up mountains and so on, but those invariably involve hairpin turns and switchbacks.  If I am truly to enjoy the scenery, it's better that the drive be straightforward and uncomplicated.

Partway up Wheeler Peak in Great Basin National Park

5. What's something on your Christmas list this year? (an actual list or figuratively speaking, either one)
 
On my actual list: Several winter getaways with my husband.
On my figurative list: The finished task of a cleaned-out house.  Also a new pastor for our church. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

 I seem to be enjoying Christmas music more than ever this year.  It's making a great backdrop for cleaning, baking cookies, whatever I'm doing.  My sorting and clearing out at my dad's home is being made much more enjoyable by having Christmas music playing while I'm working.  I just purchased John McDermott's The Holly and the Ivy and am loving it.

Music filled the house when my girls were home from college on Christmas break, back in the day

And so ends another Hodgepodge!  Happy Wednesday, everyone!  And Happy December, too.

A pretty outdoor decorating idea

Last year I spied this beautiful idea for outdoor decorations at the nursing home where my dad was living.

 They had one of these arrangements on either side of the pillars at the front entrance.

 I took the photos with my Kindle and they aren't all that great.  But you get the idea.  The elements to the arrangements are mostly natural.   Large bunches of fresh evergreen branches were placed in sap buckets.  So appropriate to New Hampshire!  Pine cones and winterberries were tucked in among the greenery.  I'm not sure what the silvery dried materials are.  Dusty miller perhaps?  Possibly even goldenrod.  I can't remember for sure but I think there may have been some white twigs in the arrangement.  Then a red bow was added and each bucket was placed atop a chunk of birch with the pretty birch bark still intact. 

Hope this lovely idea is an inspiration to someone!  I would love to make one of these to display outside at our own home.

December 4

 Just a little update on Christmasy preparations ... today I finally got the Christmas card banners in place over the dining room windows.  But there's more!

Years ago I made some curtains to cover the bottom half of the dining room windows that look onto the porch.  The view is not all that pretty and these simple curtains

worked very well to camouflage it and still let light in.  Later on, I made some fall curtains with fabric I had on hand.  For years, I've been wanting to make curtains specifically for Christmas or winter, but there just hasn't been time and I usually just use the geranium curtains above. 

But this year I tried something different.  I used wooden clothespins to clip red-and-white checked dishtowels to the tension rods.  It would look nicer if I had enough dishtowels to use two per window, but I only have enough for one each so am going with that for now.  It occurred to me that I could probably find some Christmas dishtowels, maybe even in the dollar store,  to serve the same purpose, so I may eventually do that.  For now, though, my simple and cost-free solution is working fine.  Maybe I can take a picture later, but not today.

Let's see -- last evening I wrapped about half of our gifts for the Nevada contingent and did the click and print at USPS.com, then scheduled a carrier pickup.  Light-years ahead of my usual speed in accomplishing this task. 

I hope to get the rest wrapped in the next few days and get them on their way as well.   While I'm at it, I'll also wrap the gifts I have for our local family members and stick them in large gift bags to await the Christmas tree.

There are just a few gifts left to purchase and even though I'm feeling very stretched in other ways, this part of my Christmas preparation seems in good order.

Between Saturday and today, I also prepared Christmas cards for a swap I'm taking part in and got those on their way.

Today I made some fudge and prepared care packages for a couple of college students to get them through the last days of the semester.  Just now did click and print and scheduled a carrier pickup for tomorrow.  I love being able to do this online ... it saves me so much time and trouble!

I'm also trying to take part in a Christmas photo challenge over at Instagram.  So far, so good!  I'm having fun with it.

That's all for now.  Hope everyone else is having a productive December!

A Christmas poem ~ "Christmas Splendor"

Some of my recent finds include vintage Ideals magazines in a smaller size for sending to friends.    Envelopes like the one shown above were included with these.  So pretty!  The envelopes are ever so faintly dusted with glitter, although you can't really tell by looking at this scan.

The poem I'm sharing came from the 1956 Ideals "Christmas Greetings".  It's by Lida Shivers Leech.

Christmas Splendor
Lida Shivers Leech

The dawn breaks o'er a beauteous scene,
Quiet, dazzling, and serene;
A wealth of diamonds in the snow
Set hill and vale aglow.

A panorama unsurpassed,
Traced by the Master-hand;
And etched in jewels crystal clear
By nature's magic wand.

A bright-eyed snowbird pecks around
For crumbs or berries red;
With cheery chirp he greets his mate
On icy branch o'erhead.

Christmas splendor-- a spotless robe
On roof, on shrub and tree;
We stand amazed and gaze in awe
On this, God's mystery.

This actually reminds me quite a bit of the type of poems my husband's dad would write.  It does set a beautiful scene.  God is indeed the Master Artist!

December 2

Oh, don't you love the vintage card above?  It's one that I found in my cleaning and sorting spree.  I love how it gives a window into a Christmas kitchen!

I really have no idea at all if I'll be able to post here daily, but I will give it a try.  Today I'll just share what I did yesterday for Christmas preparations:

* Began a December Scripture-writing plan
* Took down all the fall items in the dining room
* Took the fall trims off the grapevine wreath on the front door
* Replaced them with winterberries, at least for now
* Replaced "Autumn Blessings" with "December blessings" on the chalkboard
* Redid the table with a more Christmasy look
* Redid the hutch with a more Christmasy look
(Both of these are likely to change as Christmas gets closer.   Both are pretty simple right now.  The table just has a pretty Christmas dish towel (from my friend Arlene's Cracker Barrel giveaway) for a runner, with a Christmasy bowl of cookie cutters atop it.    The hutch will definitely be changed as more of my Christmas things are brought down from the attic.)

The boxes containing Christmas gifts are starting to arrive quickly now, so I will need to get busy wrapping and I do still have a few last gifts to attend to. 

One important thing I've done toward my Christmas cookie baking is to order a new hand mixer from a Black Friday sale at Kohl's.  My hand mixer barely works.  It doesn't owe me anything, as I have worked it nearly to death.  The new one should arrive any day and I am anxious to try it out!

December goals

How on earth did it get to be December?  The year has simply flown by, the time seeming to pass much more quickly than usual.  Be that as it may, the calendar tells me December is a reality.  So, time to set some goals!

Here are my goals for December:
* Work on Colossians Bible study in my quiet time †
* Memorize at least 4 Bible verses and review some older ones.
* Add 4 pages to my "What Do I Know About My God?" Scripture notebook
* Continue new study for Sunday School -- A Woman Who Reflects the Heart of Jesus
* Exercise or walk at least 20 times.
* Get to bed by 9:30 pm each night. 
* Limit sugar and red meat.
* Drink enough water each day.
* Drink kombucha each day.
* Keep up with cleaning and decluttering missions in homemaking zones of the week.
* Post in this blog every day in December if possible
* Post daily in my Christmas blog through December
* Continue working on several UFO craft projects
* Continue planning for family birthday gifts and work on crafting any handmade ones
* Declutter filing cabinets and bookshelves
* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family
* Help and encourage my local daughter as I'm able
* Clean church and set up for potluck meal
* Sort out and declutter my dad's house; work on estate
* Plan meals with a greater emphasis on healthy eating
* Decorate for Christmas
* Finish purchasing Christmas gifts; wrap; mail distant ones
* Take three of our local grandchildren for our traditional Christmas outing
* Send out cards for a Christmas card swap I'm participating in
* Make and carry out plans for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
* Focus on Advent each day this month
* Continue upholding my husband as he continues on with our church's pastoral search

 † I'll resume my informal study of Come Before Winter, by Charles Swindoll, sometime in the new year, depending on how my study of Colossians goes.

DECEMBER'S HEALTHY HABITS:  Drink enough water/exercise/eat healthfully/drink kombucha

WORD for 2017: Stewardship

And here's how November went:
* Work on Colossians Bible study in my quiet time † -- Not done.  I ended up participating in the Gratitude Challenge from Revive our Hearts, and after just a few days I knew I would have to set Colossians aside.
* Memorize at least 4 Bible verses and review some older ones -- done!
* Add 4 pages to my "What Do I Know About My God?" Scripture notebook -- not done.  The
Gratitude Challenge kept me busy every day!
* Continue new study for Sunday School -- A Woman Who Reflects the Heart of Jesus-- done!
* Exercise or walk at least 20 times -- done!
* Get to bed by 9:30 pm each night -- not done consistently.
* Limit sugar and red meat -- did great with meat, not so much with sugar.
* Drink enough water each day -- not done.
* Drink kombucha each day -- not done
* Keep up with cleaning and decluttering missions in homemaking zones of the week -- not done, although I have tried.
* Post in this blog most weekdays if possible -- done!
* Post regularly in my Christmas blog -- not done
* Continue working on several UFO craft projects -- not done, though I've worked on them a bit
* Continue planning for family birthday gifts and work on crafting any handmade ones -- not done
* Declutter filing cabinets and bookshelves -- not done
* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family -- done!
* Help and encourage my local daughter as I'm able -- done!
* Clean church and set up for potluck meal -- done!
* Sort out and declutter my dad's house; work on estate -- not finished, but I've worked on it nearly every day.
* Plan meals with a greater emphasis on healthy eating -- done!
* Make and carry out plans for Thanksgiving -- done!
* Focus on gratitude each day this month -- done!
* Continue upholding my husband as he continues on with our church's pastoral search -- done!

 † I'll resume my informal study of Come Before Winter, by Charles Swindoll, probably in December or the new year, depending on how my study of Colossians goes.

NOVEMBER'S HEALTHY HABITS:  Drink enough water/exercise/eat healthfully/drink kombucha

WORD for 2017: Stewardship

From the November archives, part 3

Okay, here is the last and relatively brief post of links from the November archives.

In the mood for some comfort food that's hearty and yet a bit unusual?  Try this delicious autumn supper  which would be good all winter long.  It's a flavorful chicken stew which I served with pumpkin biscuits.  Both recipes are included.

And then finally, this post: Preparing to prepare for Christmas describes some steps I took to get ready for Christmas preparations like crafting and baking in 2015.  Although your own details and preparations will likely be different, I think you'll find some inspiration in this post.

And so ends my browse through the November archives.  Tomorrow will be December, and I'm hoping to post daily in my Christmas blog -- and possibly do "December Daily" posts here as well.  We will see!